It’s the first National Day Against Gun Violence – a made-up date the Trudeau government invented to raise awareness and conduct a national conversation about gun crime.
Plus, a Windsor police officer is fighting back after being found guilty of discreditable conduct for supporting the Freedom Convoy.
And Mississauga Mayor and potential Ontario Liberal Party leadership candidate Bonnie Crombie is being criticized for wanting to change the lyrics of O’Canada.
Tune into The Daily Brief with Andrew Lawton and Lindsay Shepherd!
In the name of “harm reduction,” The City of Toronto is giving away free crack pipes, crystal meth pipes and drug starter kits to anyone who wants them. Despite the federal government and city officials being very proud that our taxpayer dollars are enabling addicts, they don’t seem nearly as inclined to show taxpayers what is actually going on behind closed doors inside these buildings.
On this special episode of Ratio’d, Harrison Faulkner goes downtown to ‘The Works’, a city-run “safe” injection and “safe” supply site in the middle of Toronto. We wanted to see just how easy it is for someone to get their own drug starter kit. However, Harrison quickly found out that journalists aren’t welcome inside. Despite that, an addict offered to go inside and get the entire taxpayer funded goody bag for True North, so we can show you what is really taking place.
So-called “safe supply” and “harm reduction” strategies have proven to be an abject failure. Since 2016, over 30,000 Canadians have died from opioid overdoses and instead of providing treatment to addicts, government officials seem hell-bent on facilitating addictions by giving addicts a green light to shoot up.
Watch this special episode of Ratio’d with Harrison Faulkner.
A migrant worker from Jamaica will be deported after being convicted of sexual interference with two teenage girls at a swimming pond in Delhi, Ontario.
Henry was in Canada as part of a migrant worker program for local farms.
Dwayne Omar Henry, of Manchester, Jamaica, was found guilty of two counts of sexual interference by Justice Aubrey Hilliard at his recent sentencing hearing. As for two other charges of sexual assault, those were conditionally stayed by the court.
The incident occurred on the evening of May 27, 2021, on William Street in Delhi.
Henry and some friends were swimming at the pond and allegedly drinking alcohol. Henry approached two young women, who were also swimming there, and hugged them without their consent. He also moved his hand across the buttocks of one of the girls.
According to Justice Hilliard, the incident was an “objectively sexual act” by a 31-year-old man against two teenage girls.
“I found the Crown didn’t make out beyond a reasonable doubt the most aggravating pieces of the sexual assault allegation,” said Hilliard.
“Mr. Henry was ultimately convicted of the hugging and he was a 31-year-old man and they were teenagers at the time. It was an objectively sexual act.”
The girls remained in the area but allegedly began screaming when Henry returned.
Henry pleaded not guilty to the charges and maintained his innocence at his sentencing hearing. He said he did not know that a hug could be so serious and that he felt he did not get a fair trial.
“I feel like I don’t get a fair trial because it is my first time. I deserve a better trial,” said Henry.
He also said his life had been ruined by one indiscreet act and that he wanted to return to Jamaica to see his children.
Henry had already jeopardized his time in Canada by not returning home at the end of his visa. He was considered “over-stayed” which gave him a one-year ban from the country.
Hilliard sentenced Henry to 179 days in jail and claimed that he would likely be deported after his sentence was completed.
Canadians are not satisfied with the findings and recommendations of former governor general David Johnston in his role as special rapporteur on foreign interference, according to a new poll.
Johnston released his first report on Tuesday in which he shut down calls for a public inquiry into the matter.
The new poll by Leger commissioned by the National Post suggests that many Canadians are not persuaded by Johnston’s report or his reasoning.
According to the poll of 1,531 Canadians conducted online from May 26 to May 29, only 27% of respondents said they believe Johnston’s report was “rigorous impartial work” or contained “foreign policy expertise.”
33% said they don’t agree that the former governor general’s report was grounded in sufficient expertise or impartiality, while 40% said they are either not sure or do not know.
50% said they do not think that Johnston’s report will “change anything” in the way the government handles foreign interference in the next election, while 25% said they think it will and 25% said they are unsure.
The poll also reveals that Canadians are concerned about China’s influence and activities in Canada, and that they have low trust in the federal government’s handling of the issue.
69% said they are concerned about China’s interference in elections, while 16% said they are not concerned and 15% said they are unsure. 47% said the Trudeau government has handled the issue either poorly or very poorly, while 24% said it has handled it well and 29% said they are unsure.
The poll also shows that Canadians have more trust in Elections Canada than in the federal government when it comes to ensuring fair and secure elections.
69% trust Elections Canada a lot or somewhat, while 18% trust it not very much or not at all and 13% are unsure. 51% trust the federal government a lot or somewhat, while 40% trust it not very much or not at all and nine% are unsure.
The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
On Wednesday, after the House of Commons voted through a non-binding motion for Johnston to step down from his role and for the government to initiate a public inquiry, the former governor general rebuked parliament and refused to abdicate his position.
A Windsor police officer who was found guilty of discreditable conduct for donating $50 to the Freedom Convoy is appealing the Windsor Police Service Discipline Hearing decision and the subsequent penalty with the Ontario Civilian Police Commission.
Constable Michael Jason Brisco, a 15-year veteran of the Windsor Police Service, made the donation on Feb. 8, 2022, through an online crowd-funding site.
He said he believed the Convoy, which protested against Covid-19 restrictions in Ottawa, was a peaceful expression of freedom.
However, his donation was discovered after the website, GiveSendGo, was hacked and the list of donors was obtained by the Ontario Provincial Police, who identified active police officers who supported the Convoy.
Brisco was charged with one count of discreditable conduct under the Police Services Act and convicted on March 24, 2023.
He received a penalty of 80 hours forfeiture on May 18, meaning he would have to work on his days off without pay.
The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF), a Calgary-based legal organization that represents Brisco and many other people facing pandemic-related charges, announced on June 1 that it is appealing the decision.
“Constable Brisco was exercising his right to freedom of expression when he made a small donation to the Freedom Convoy. He fully believed that the protests were peaceful, and his beliefs were confirmed by the Superior Court, which allowed for the protests to continue, albeit without honking,” said Sayeh Hassan, counsel for Brisco, in a news release.
“Canadians including police officers should be able to exercise their right to freedom of expression without being penalized. We are hopeful that the Ontario Civil Police Commission will overturn Constable Brisco’s conviction and uphold his right to freedom of expression.”
Brisco had no previous disciplinary actions on his record.
Ontario’s top universities are paying employees generous six-figure salaries to promote and advance “Equity, Diversity and Inclusion” (EDI) initiatives and ideology, True North has learned.
The 2022 salaries were found using the Ontario Sunshine List, which publicly lists provincial public sector salaries that are over $100,000 per year. The list covers public sector employers that receive significant funding from taxpayers – including universities.
Universities in Ontario get part of their funding from the provincial and federal governments. They also receiving funds through tuition fees and other forms of revenue.
While most officials earned between $100,000 and $200,000 per year, several received over $300,000 per year. Some of the people on the sunshine list serving as EDI officials are also professors – while others are employed and paid six figures specifically to advance EDI and other social justice agendas.
Notably high salaries include an Associate Professor serving as Deputy Provost of Academic Operations And Inclusion at Queen’s University who earned $346,376 and a professor serving as Vice-President, People Strategy, Equity And Culture at the University of Toronto who earned $341,000. At Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson), a Special Advisor To The President for Equity Diversity Inclusion And Decolonization Curriculum Transformation was paid $329,697, while a Vice President of Equity And Community Inclusion University earned $324,973.
Other noticeably high salaries include York University’s Vice President of Equity, People And Culture, who was paid $277,007, a McMaster professor serving as Vice-President of Equity And Inclusion who was paid $274,950, a University of Toronto professor serving as Vice-Dean of Faculty, Academic Life And Equity, Arts And Sciences who earned $266,150, and another serving as Vice-Dean of Faculty Affairs, Equity And Success at the university’s Scarborough campus made $252,668. Western University’s Associate Vice-President of Equity, Diversity And Inclusion made $257,830 in 2022.
Several people employed by universities for “anti-racism” work were also paid six-figure salaries. A Dean’s Advisor On Black Inclusivity Initiatives And Student Inclusion at the University of Toronto earned $125,201, and an Educational Developer in Anti-Racist Pedagogies earned $101,382. The University of Windsor paid an associate professor serving as Anti-Racism Pedagogies Teaching Leadership Chair $170,918 and its director of Anti-Racism Organizational Change $128,542. Toronto Metropolitan University’s Projects And Operations manager for the Presidential Implementation Committee To Combat Anti-Black Racism earned $110,766, while the University of Waterloo’s Director Of Anti-Racism made $107,072.
Reacting to the high salaries paid to EDI officials, former Society for Academic Freedom and Scholarship (SAFS) president Mark Mercer said that “EDI offices are not necessary to any function of a university and EDI initiatives are often harmful, as they contravene academic values when they seek to regulate discussion or to direct research and teaching, and when they place colour, sex or identity above academic accomplishment or promise.”
He added that each of the salaries “could be used to hire two or three junior faculty members, and that would mean smaller classes, more varied courses and a greater dynamism of ideas and perspectives in classrooms, seminars and lab benches.”
“The irony is palpable: if the goal of EDI is to see that scholars from different backgrounds become professors, don’t spend the money on EDI offices or initiatives but on simply increasing the number of faculty members.”
While EDI ideology has been fully embraced by Canadian post-secondary institutions with little political pushback, a different picture is unfolding in the United States.
In Florida, Republican governor Ron DeSantis recently signed a bill banning the state’s public colleges and universities from spending money on “Equity, Diversity and Inclusion” initiatives.
“If you look at the way this has actually been implemented across the country, (EDI) is better viewed as standing for discrimination, exclusion and indoctrination,” said DeSantis. “And that has no place in our public institutions.”
Below are tables of salaries earned by “Equity, Diversity and Inclusion” officials at top Ontario universities as per records provided by the Government of Ontario found by True North on the province’s Sunshine List.
A 2022 job opening for a Director, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion shows the university being willing to pay up to $143,878 per year for the job.
The post-secondary institutions in this article are considered to be the top in the province by EduRank, whose rankings are “determined by analyzing 34M citations received by 823K academic publications made by 24 universities from Ontario, the popularity of 2,324 recognized alumni, and the largest reference database available.”
Pride Month – or Pride Season, as the government of Canada now calls it – has begun, meaning corporate logos have been cloaked in rainbows and the the Toronto Transit Commission has even replaced its subway chime with a “2SLGBTQQIA choir.” True North’s Andrew Lawton says much of these proclamations amount to little more than virtue signalling.
Also, what does Danielle Smith’s win mean for Albertans and Canadians? Kris Sims from the Canadian Taxpayers Federation joins to discuss.
As violent crime continues to afflict cities across Canada despite the Trudeau government’s attempts to crack down on legally-owned guns, the government is set to announce a National Day Against Gun Violence to raise awareness and conduct a national conversation about gun crime.
Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino celebrated the move on Twitter as the Liberal government’s Bill C-21, which would cement the government’s ban on handgun sales in Canada, reaches its second reading in the Senate.
It’s official!
Tomorrow, June 2nd, will mark the first National Day Against Gun Violence.https://t.co/ZiL94Odks8
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mendicino are expected to announce further details about the proclamation later today in a press conference in Toronto.
Canadian Coalition for Firearms Rights spokesperson Tracey Wilson slammed the government’s approach to addressing gun crime.
“Could a government possibly do less?” wrote Wilson on Twitter.
“Canada is experiencing a 32% increase in violent crime, a 92% increase in gang homicide, our revolving door legal system spits violent, repeat offenders back onto the street thanks to Liberal policies and drugs flow like water.”
“This is a perfect example of being the worst, most ineffective, damaging, worthless government in the history of this country.”
Could a government possibly do less? Canada is experiencing a 32% increase in violent crime, a 92% increase in gang homicide, our revolving door legal system spits violent, repeat offenders back onto the street thanks to Liberal policies and drugs flow like water.
Earlier this year, the Trudeau government withdrew an amendment to Bill C-21, which, in addition to handguns, would ban several rifles and shotguns used by hunters, farmers and sport shooters.
The amendment was heavily criticized by Canadian gun owners and Indigenous people.
Bill C-21 also aims to introduce “red flag” and “yellow flag” laws to expand the ways authorities can seize firearms from individuals who are believed to be a danger to themselves or others.
Last month, the Trudeau government announced new legislation on bail reform as premiers and police associations across the country pushed lawmakers to do more in addressing rising crime rates in major cities.
The new legislation implements reverse-onus bail conditions for those accused of severe violent offences with weapons, if they were previously convicted of a similar violent crime in the last five years or if the alleged crimes involve intimate partner violence or firearms.
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre reacted to the new measures saying that if he was prime minister, he would waive offenders’ rights to a bail hearing and require violent offenders to remain behind bars throughout their trial.
The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) launched a “Team Canada 2SLGBTQI+ Resources” hub dedicated to “inclusion and diversity” in sports for pride month.
A web page launched on Wednesday includes a variety of resources like gender ideology activist organizations, scholarships and a guide to “pronouns in the media.”
“The COC stands behind its commitment of inclusion and diversity in the global sport landscape. We recognize that diversity is our greatest strength. Inclusion is the very foundation of what makes the heart of Team Canada,” the webpage claims.
A link to the “Covering LGBTQ Athletes at the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics” is also full of radical gender ideology terms and concepts.
“No one is born with a gender identity. Everyone is born a baby and their gender is assigned to them by doctors and family members based on physical sex characteristics that may not correspond to their gender identity as it develops over time,” advises the guide.
The guide also goes on to name “right-wing” pro-family groups and accuses them of being “transphobic” for wanting to protect children from the harmful impacts of gender ideology.
“The surge in transphobia surrounding sports over the past year didn’t arise from a vacuum; it is the result of consistent campaigning,” the guide claims.
“Here are just a few of the most prominent groups working to restrict or abolish transgender athletes from competition. Reporters should give extra scrutiny to statements and spokespeople representing the following organizations.”
Among the organizations promoted by Team Canada is Egale Canada, which most recently called for the cancellation of Blue Jays pitcher Anthony Bass for his Christian views.
“Despite apologizing, Blue Jays’ Anthony Bass has used his platform to share anti-2SLGBTQI hate. It’s time for the Jays to take number 52 off the roster and stand with the 2SLGBTQI community,” wrote Egale Canada on Twitter.
Bass, in a video statement released on the Toronto Blue Jays’ Twitter account, expressed regret for sharing an Instagram reel from a Christian social media influencer. The reel discussed the biblical principles behind boycotting companies like Target that promote gender ideology to children.
Blue Jays pitcher Anthony Bass shows why you should never apologize to the woke mob. Although Bass issued an apology for a post about Christianity and the Target boycott on his Instagram, LGBTQ activist groups are still calling for his head.
Plus, Two years after the apparent discovery of unmarked graves, have the remains of “215 children” been discovered at the former residential school in Kamloops? No, no remains have been found as no excavations have taken place.
And Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s special rapporteur David Johnston is refusing to step down after MPs passed a non-binding motion calling for Johnston to remove himself from the role.
Tune into The Daily Brief with Andrew Lawton and Lindsay Shepherd!
